by Trisch Rosema

My first impression was one of disbelief… here I was, in the city, but not at a zoo, with a white lion cub on my lap, but not being mauled, leopard and tigers playing together around me … and the young woman in front of me kissing and loving a young adult male lion without being ripped to shreds continued to make my head spin!  How on earth was this possible?

Gill Brown, Manager at Dis-Chem Northrigdge Mall, Bloemfontein contacted me one chilly morning.

“Trisch, they need help” she pleaded, “November is ill.  Riana needs supplements for him and her funds are running low.”

Above : Gill Brown, Lizaenne (holding Acinonyx) and Trisch (with Amy)

Next thing I know, I’m marvelling at the work being done at Cheetah Experience in Bloemfontein, while Fiela and James are purring contentedly in a corner… yes, cheetahs do purr… and yes, they are very cute and very kitty-like.  But just one whack with those long claws will remind you that they are still wild animals!  While these beautiful cats generally do not pose a threat to humans (in the wild they will move off at great speed if you see them), under captive conditions they can become aggressive.  During our walkabout,  Lizaenne reminds us at each opportunity not to venture too close to some of the animals.

Above : Trisch giving Acinonyx love

We meet up with Acinonyx and Amy in one enclosure – a white lion cub and a caracal who eat, sleep and play together.  In another enclosure are two lions and two Canadian wolves who have formed their own pack… with Shakira the white wolf taking on the role of matriarch, and both lions taking a back seat (who said they were king of the jungle?!)   Further away are two Bengal Tiger cubs who occasionally take a swipe at Mischief the leopard club, lazing in her tyre swing.  And then there is the big boy, Lizaenne’s baby, Achillus, the one year old lion who she snoozes with some afternoons in the warm Free State winter sun.

Above : Michief lazing in the winter sun

Coming away from this encounter with a new-found respect for the women who look after these animals, I couldn’t help but be touched by the way in which they are making a difference to the conservation of some of our most beautiful cats.  Running education programmes as well as being a place of safety,  Cheetah Experience is funded purely through donations, but with the recent economic recession, their funds have been sorely depleted.

Lizaenne tells me that every month they come into Dis-Chem Pharmacies to purchase vitamin supplements for the animals, some months they barely manage to purchase enough to go around.

Fast forward three days later.

Riana and Lizaenne arrive at Dis-Chem Pharmacies to purchase much-needed phospholipids for one of the cheetahs who is ill.  Riana is worried as she doesn’t have enough to purchase all the medication.  Little does she know that help is at hand.

Store Manager, Gill Brown, presents Cheetah Experience with a Healthy Living Card and tells Riana that The Dis-Chem Foundation will donate R5000-00 a month for a year towards the upkeep of the cats’ vitamin requirements.

Not only were they able to purchase the medication immediately, but they also shopped for all the supplements the animals need.

We might be Phamacists Who Care, but we’re also Pharmacists Who Care About Animals!

For more information on Cheetah Experience, please visit their website at www.cheetahexperience.com You could make a difference too!

Article added 2010/08/22

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